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Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of dense, conflicting information out there about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? You're not alone. Connecting with other educators is often a great way to uncover useful CCSS information, tools, and resources. Consider sharing your voice in online communities: on Twitter (#CCSS or #CommonCore), on Pinterest (Edutopia's Common Core pinboard is one place to start), or in Edutopia's community discussions about the Common Core. If you'd like even more help making sense of the initiative, here's Edutopia's guide to other organizations that offer valuable resources.

The Debate

Debate and controversy continue over the CCSS and associated changes to assessments. Some supporters argue a common set of rigorous national standards will transform American education, prepare students for college and careers, and allow our nation to maintain international competitiveness. Some opponents assert the standards represent a flawed, untested, “one-size-fits-all” approach -- an overreach into matters best left up to local control. Lawmakers in several states have introduced bills revisiting the decision to adopt the CCSS in the first place. In 2013, the general public was mostly left out of this debate; however, more recent polls have found that public awareness of the standards has grown. For more about two 2014 polls and what they suggested about shifts in public awareness and opinion, read A Tale of Two Polls, from NPR.

Videos on the Common Core

Teaching Channel offers more than 240 useful videos about Common Core implementation, from broad overviews to lesson ideas for specific standards. They've also developed additional videos and resources, including demonstrations of Common Core-aligned lessons, in partnership with leading nonprofits and teachers’ unions focused on implementing the Common Core. And if you're looking for short, accessible videos to explain the Common Core Standards to parents or colleagues, check out Hunt Institute's YouTube channel. There you will find more than 30 videos, from brief animated overviews to details on the standards' specifics to Spanish translations. "Shaping rigorous, world-class education standards" is one of the Hunt Institute's key initiatives, so it has done great work making the Common Core understandable.

Khan Academy Practice Problems

Looking for resources to support math instruction? Khan Academy has created thousands of CCSS-aligned math problems, created and reviewed by math educators. Check out the Common Core map on their website to browse skills and related math exercises by grade and relevant standard. Adaptive software helps to identify gaps and show progress on each student's learning dashboard, and real-time tracking data is available to teachers.

BetterLesson Common Core Lesson Plans

In partnership with the National Education Association, BetterLesson launched a new website in January 2014, featuring over 10,000 CCSS-aligned lessons for math and ELA/literacy. Developed by over 130 current, experienced teachers for every grade level, the featured lessons include the teachers’ reflections and insights, student work examples, and an array of other supporting materials.

Assessment

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

As one of the two state-led collaboratives developing new assessments that align with the Common Core Standards, PARCC received a $186 million Race to the Top grant. You will find a solid implementation page on its website with guides, webinars, workbooks, and more resources for the transition period. PARCC also offers a page called For Educators, designed specifically for teachers in the trenches. PARCC is a consortium of states, and 13 states are participating in administration of the PARCC tests during the 2014-15 school year.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

The other group that received a comparable sum in federal funding to create next-generation K-12 assessments is the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Since we first published this article, Smarter Balanced launched a permanent website with a much heartier resource page, with various articles and links, and information about Race to the Top. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium consists of 22 governing and five advisory states, and it's on a timeline similar to PARCC's.